Washer drain board



May 22, 1934; T. J. POWER WASHER DRAIN BOARD Filed July 29, 1929 40%ZINVfiVTOR. Y Z 4% zda lad ATTOZNEYS.

Patented May 22, 1934 PATENT OFFICE WASHER DRAIN BOARD Thomas J. Power, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor, by mesne assignments, to United States Hoffman Machinery Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 29, 1929, Serial No. 381,939

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in washer drain boards and has particular reference to a drain board for a dry cleaning washer and the relation thereof to the tumbler drum of such a washer.

It is one of the important objects of the invention to provide a drum and drain board which interact to position the drain board positively on a'diameter of the drum while permitting the ready removal of the drain board from either side of the drum.

' clothes.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a washer drum showing the application thereto of a drain board in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view on a reduced scale of the drain board illustrated in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view on an enlarged scale showing in plan the fragmentary corner of a modified drain board construction.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The tumbler 5 is made of staves in the usual way and is provided at 90 degree intervals with inwardly projecting ribs 6. At opposite sides of the tumbler, doors '7 are provided in its periphery, being hinged to the wall of the tumbler at 8 and being arranged to close exteriorly upon two opposite ribs 6. Bolts 9 are. provided to hold the doors shut except when it is desired to introduce or remove clothing or the drain board 10.

The width of drain board 10 is such that it spans drum 5 on a diameter slightly divergent from the diameter which includes the adjacent ribs 6. It will be noted that the drain board extends at one side of one rib and abuts the opposite face of the opposing rib. Each of the doors '7 is recessed at 11 to receive the margin of the drain board so that when the two doors are closed they co-act with the adjacent ribs 6 to anchor the opposite margins of drain board 10.

Movement of the drain board in the diametrical plane in which it is disposed, is prevented by the metal cleats 12 which are of channeled cross section and are provided with divergent flanges 13 riveted or screwed to the drain board. One of the cleats is disposed on one face of the drain board while the other cleat is disposed on the opposite face thereof, each cleat being adapted to abut the ends of the adjacent rib 6 whereby rigidly to fix the position of the drain board. Apertures for draining the channels of the cleats 12 are indicated at 12'.

Drain board 10 is made up of staves held in close proximity by the cleats 12. The contiguous margins of adjacent staves are correspondingly cut away to provide channels at 14 between the cleats through which drainage may occur. The attempt to close the ends of the channels 14 by placing the staves very close together, has heretofore resulted in excessive warping, which the present invention seeks to overcome; first, by the provision of the channeled metal cleats at 12 on opposite faces of the drain board, and second, by providing space for expansion between the component staves which make up the drain board. In the Fig. 3 construction the staves of the drain board are spaced bodily apart at their ends, thus leaving narrow extension slots 15 with which the wider slots 14 communicate. Such extension slots are objectionable because, although they overcome the difficulty heretofore experienced with warpage, they are frequently a source of injury to clothing which is caught in the groove and torn.

The Fig. 2 construction is preferred. In this construction all of the drain board staves except those of the outer margins of the board, are provided with central longitudinally extending kerfs 16 which extend beyond the closed ends of slot 14 in overlapping relation thereto. These kerfs permit expansion of the staves laterally notwithstanding the fact that the stave margins are closely joined to close completely the ends of slots 14.

t is found that in the use of this arrangement clothing which penetrates slot 14 does not and cannot penetrate into the kerfs between adjacent staves, as is the case in the Fig. 3 construction, while the ample expansion room provided for by kerfs 16 takes care of the swelling of the staves individually without any perceptible warping effect.

A drain board embodying this invention may be introduced into either side of the drum 5 which happens to register with the door of the washer. In the Fig. 1 illustration of the parts the washer door may be assumed to be at the left, and it will be noted that if the drum is turned 180 degrees that margin of the drain board then exposed at the left by the opening of door '7, will likewise be 1 the operator to introduce the drain board through the drum door first presented to the washer door casing. When the drain board is put into the drum it will cover the clothes then lying at the bottom of the drum. The drum is now rotated 180 degrees to invert the parts, thus leaving the load of clothes resting upon the drain board.

The other door '7 is now opened and the drainv board, overlying the adjacent rib 6, is in position to facilitate the discharge of clothes resting upon it without interference from any part of the drum 5. When the clothes are all withdrawn, the drain board may readily be withdrawn from the drum and stored until occasion is again presented for its use.

In such use the type of board shown in Fig. 2 with central drain slots and marginally arranged overlapping expansion kerfs, can easily be held by the metal cleats 12 from warpage. This result is highly desirable since a warped drain board could not be inserted into the recesses 11 provided therefor in the drum design disclosed.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a drain board comprising a plurality of staves in marginal abutment at their respective ends and spaced apart intermediate their ends to provide slots, and

cleats secured to the several staves, a plurality of such staves having longitudinal kerfs extending substantially the full length of those end portions laterally engaged with corresponding portions of adjacent staves.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a drain boardcomprising a plurality of staves in marginal abutment at their respective ends and spaced apart intermediate their ends to provide slots, and cleats secured to the several staves, a plurality of such staves having longitudinal kerfs extending the full length of those end portions laterally engaged with corresponding portions of adjacent staves and projecting beyond the ends of said slots in overlapping relation thereto.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a drain board comprising the combination with a plurality of staves, of a cleat applied to one face of said staves adjacent one endmargin thereof, and a second cleat applied to the opposite faces of said staves adjacent the opposite end thereof, the opposite faces of said drain board having free and unobstructed portions extending from the respective cleats to the ends opposite said cleats.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a drum having opposite peripheral doors and opposite ribs respectively adjacent the free margins of said doors, of a drain board having one end overlying one rib and the other end underlying the opposite rib, means on the free margin of each of the doors complementary to said ribs to engage and confine the ends of the drain board, and cleats on said drain board at opposite faces thereof, and positioned to abut the inner edges of the respective ribs.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a drain board comprising a body of laterally expansible material provided with transversely extending relatively less expansible cleats, said body being provided with discontinuous longitudinally extending slots mutually offset and overlapping and disposed at pie-determined intervals throughout the surface of said body, whereby to permit of the lateral expansion of all portions thereof with respect to said cleats.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a washer drum having opposite door openings and doors, of a drain board disposed across said drum and having its opposite faces engaged with said drum adjacent said door openings and releasably retained by said doors, said drain board having cleats adjacent its ends extending axially of said drum along those faces of said drain board which engage said drum, the drain board faces adjacent the respective door openings being unobstructed whereby to facilitate the free discharge of material from the board through said door openings.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a drum having oppositely disposed axially extending internal ribs, door openings in its periphery extending from the ribs, and doors for said openings, of a drain board extending substantially diametrically of said drum and having opposite faces at its respective ends engaging the ribs adjacent said door openings, said ends being releasably engaged by said doors and said board being removable upon the opening of either of said doors, and cleats on opposite faces of the drain board adjacent its respective ends positioned for engagement with the respective ribs.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a drum having opposed door openings and doors to open and close the respective openings, said drum having drain board supporting surfaces adjacent each such opening at the free edges of the respective doors, of a drain board removably positioned upon the supporting surfaces in a plane substantially diametrical of said drum and intersecting both of said door openings, and cleat means extending longitudinally of the drum solely adjacent the said supporting surfaces upon opposite faces of the drain board at opposite ends thereof each drain board surface exposed by the opening of a door being free and unobstructed for the delivery of material through the door, each of said doors having means complementary to the supporting means of the drum for engaging the adjacent portions of the drain board in a direction to restrain them against circumferential displacement and from which the drain board is slidably removable through the opposite door.

THOMAS J. POWER. 

